Ida Odinga Apologizes After Remarks on Regulation of Churches Cause a Stir

ODM leader Raila Odinga’s wife Ida Odinga has apologized for her remarks on the regulation of churches.

Ida caused a stir after she urged the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) to regulate churches and weed out those not run by trained evangelists.

“We want Kenyans to subscribe to religions that are formally registered and not those whose belief systems are commodified. It is also important that we conduct training for all those who minister the word of God,” Ida was quoted.

She was speaking during the launch of the Christian Book by Archbishop Emeritus Habbakuk Abogno in Kisumu on Saturday.

In a statement on Monday, Ida withdrew her remarks, saying that her position on the training of preachers was blown out of context by the media reports circulating online

“It has come to my realization that my comments haven’t sat well with some members of the church. I sincerely apologize for the discomfort caused as I meant no harm to any person,” reads the statement.

Ida stressed that she is a committed believer in Jesus Christ and is dedicated to promoting the growth of the church for a better Kenyan society.

“I reiterate that training only makes the service of preaching better and promotes the ministration of the word of God. As a committed believer in Jesus Christ, I understand that preaching is a calling and anyone can be touched to administer the word of God. This is a fact I have appreciated for a long time and I have sat and listened to many preachers eloquently and diligently deliver life-changing sermons,” she adds.